The Dollhouse Memorial List Part 2: Jonny's Top 5 Cancelled TV Shows

Following Ben's idea to write a top 5 cancelled TV shows list, I decided to strike out with blazing originality, and write my own. Yes, that's how we do things around here. So, here are my five unjustly terminated small-screen programmes.

1. Firefly (2002-2003)
This is the one that is still pretty much the benchmark of unfair cancellations. Nerds everywhere still get angry about Firefly being shut down, myself included. Joss Whedon's superb space western show lasted an all-too-brief 14 episodes, only 11 of which were aired. Those 11 were shown out of order. And Fox wondered why ratings were low. The show's merry band of smugglers, led by war veteran Malcolm Reynolds (Fillion), move from job to job, struggling to keep ends meet and keep flying. Oh and there's the evil alliance, who are hunting down River and Simon Tam who are being sheltered on board. Yes, it's kind of a niche show, but the DVD sales were enough to convince Universal to pay for feature film version Serenity, which was just as excellent. It's my favourite Whedon series, and it introduced us to the talents of Nathan Fillion and Summer Glau, and made cult heroes out of Adam Baldwin and Alan Tudyk. The dialogue was fantastically quotable, the characters wonderfully well-drawn, and it achieved the rare feat of making a show about smugglers on a spaceship feel both intimate and thrilling. From Fillion's Captain Mal and Baldwin's not-too-bright muscle Jayne, to Jewel Staite's shiny happy mechanic Kaylee and Glau's damaged-but-deadly runaway River, we cared about each of the great characters. Why can't we have more?
Best episode: Either "Jaynestown", in which Jayne (the ship's muscle) finds out that he's a Robin Hood-esque folk hero to an oppressed small town, or "Objects in Space", where a mercenary gets more than he bargained for while trying to abduct River.
Best quote: That's tough. Everyone gets great lines in Firefly. River: "I can kill you with my brain". Jayne: "I get ten percent! Let me do the math here, ten percent of nothin'...nothin' and a nothin' , carry the nothin'...
Why it was cancelled: Not enough people watched it. And Fox are the devil
Sum it up: "We're still flying" "That's not much." "It's enough."


2. Arrested Development (2003-2006)
This is one of those shows which got a huge amount of critical acclaim, but too few viewers. Star Jason Bateman described AD as "The Royal Tenenbaums meets Cops", which is an accurate distillation of the combination of witty family feud driven dialogue and the documentary-style hand-held camera work. Bateman played Michael Bluth, the only normal-ish member of the spoiled Bluth clan who lost all their money. It made stars out of Bateman, Will Arnett, Michael Cera, and David Cross and has created the kind of fanatical following that only a cancelled cult show can. Comparisons to Seinfeld are completely justified, as are comparisons to the still-running 30 Rock. It's wacky, and the third series was admittedly too wacky for its own good, but it was tempered with awkwardly believable situations, great characters and dialogue that is more quotable than Firefly. Now, what network was this on again?
Best episode: I'm going with "Pier Pressure", in which Michael and Gob suspect Michael's son George Michael (Cera) of smoking marijuana and decide to teach him a lesson.
Best character: It's a tie between Michael's magician (and ex-stripper) brother Gob (Arnett), and his hapless therapist turned aspiring actor brother-in-law Tobias (Cross). Michael's parents (Jeffrey Tambor and Jessica Walter) come a close second though.
Why it was cancelled: Not enough viewers. Oh and Fox are the devil
Sum it all up: "There's been a lot of lying in this family"
"And a lot of love"
"More lies"


3. Deadwood (2004-2006)
David Milch's foulmouthed Western couldn't have really been made at any other network than HBO. It was expensive, defiantly adult and even more defiantly literary. The dialogue was often deliberately oblique, and sometimes the cusses were almost the only comprehensible words. But it had one of the best casts on TV, led by Ian McShane, proving he was more than Lovejoy with his blistering performance as Gem Saloon owner, murderer, pimp, and civic minded Al Swearengen. He was backed up by Timothy Olyphant (ostensibly in the lead) as the Sheriff with a short fuse Seth Bullock, Brad Dourif as the town Doc, Powers Boothe as Al's rival, John Hawkes as Seth's partner Sol Starr, Molly Parker as the heroin-addicted widow Alma Garrett, Garret Dillahunt playing not one but two muderers, and Keith Carradine as the legendary Wild Bill Hicock. Milch showed the west as it was: dangerous, blood-soaked, disease-ridden. Like Unforgiven, the characters cling to what they know as the march of progress threatens to replace them with a greater evil. The show occasionally got too involved with the Machiavellian workings of the town as it struggled to give up its non-Union status and become part of a state, but when it gained momentum it was superb.
Best character: Al Swearengen. Without a doubt.
Best quote: "Now, here's my counter offer to your counter offer - go fuck yourself!"
Best episode: Either "Suffer the Little Children", in which two con-artists get a brutal lesson, or "A Lie Agreed Upon Part 1", if only for Al's bloodsoaked greeting to Bullock's wife: "Welcome to fuckin' Deadwood!"
Why it was cancelled: Ratings weren't high enough for the very expensive show.
Sum it all up: "Don't I yearn for the days when a draw across the throat made fucking resolution"



4. Angel (1999-2004)
Yup, it's another Joss Whedon show. Given that he created Buffy the Vampire Slayer, you'd have thought that Fox would cut him some slack. No such luck. That being said, Angel had the longest run of any of the series on this list with a full five series. Unlike Firefly, there's a lot of episodes to watch and immerse yourself in. Angel was one of those rare things: a very good spinoff. Taking the character of Angel (David Boreanaz), the-vampire-with-a-soul, from Buffy and moving him to LA where he founds what is essentially a PI service with Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter), another second-string Buffy character, and an Irish half-demon sounds like a bad joke. But it worked. Admittedly, it wasn't until the second and third series that Angel really settled into a groove with the addition of Giles-esque Wesley (Alexis Denisof), significantly altered from his Buffy incarnation, ditsy nerd Fred (Amy Acker) and vampire hunter Gunn (J. August Richards). Things got very shaky with the addition of Angel's angst-ridden teen son Connor in series 4, but they got rid of him for series 5 and brought punk vampire Spike (James Marsters) in from Buffy in an inspired stroke. The show was cancelled halfway through series 5 and the last episodes do seem a little rushed, but they are among the show's best. Acker is especially good as Fred and warrior goddess Illyria, Denisof comes into his own in the last series, and Marsters gives the series the sense of humour it needed so desperately.
Best character: Up until series 5, I'd say Wesley or Fred. Series 5, it's a tie between Spike and Illyria. I do dearly love the scenes in which Spike has to test her abilities. "She can hit like a Mack truck, selectively alter the flow of time, and, er, possibly talk to plants." "I enjoy hitting Spike. He makes noise."
Best quote: Spike: "You're a wee little puppet man!"
or
Spike: "This next one's called "The wanton folly of me mum"!"
Best episode: Either Smile Time, in which Angel is turned into a puppet, or A Hole in the World, in which Whedon shows us that he's prepared to kill off the nicest character even if it makes us cry.
Why it was cancelled: Dropping viewing figures. And because Fox are the devil

5. Freaks and Geeks (1999-2000)
Before Judd Apatow was the Grand Lord General of Hollywood comedy, he was the producer of this much-loved but short-lived high-school comedy set in 1980. Deliberately and lovingly focussed on the kids who serve as the butt of jokes on most high-school shows, it deserved much more attention and a longer run than the one series gave it. Starring Linda Cardellini as Lindsay Weir and John Francis Daley as her younger brother Sam, it was about both of their groups. Lindsay is a maths geek who decides to become one of the stoner gang (the freaks), including Daniel Desario (James Franco), Nick Andropolis (Jason Segel) and Ken Miller (Seth Rogen), and Sam is a nerd who is trying to get the girl of his dreams with the help of his two friends Bill Haverchuck (Martin Starr) and Neal Schweiber (Samm Levine). Freaks dealt with traditional issues like the first beer and the first kiss in a way that wasn't old and tired, and also gave us heartbreaking situations like Neal finding out that his dad who he admires so much is having an affair. It was as funny as the best teen comedies and touching in a way that noughties youth indies couldn't match.
Best episode: Either "The Garage Door", with Neal's discovery, or "Chokin' and Tokin'", in which Lindsay smokes weed and allergic Bill is fed peanuts by a bully and falls into a coma.
Best character: Either the so-uncool-he's-cool Harris (Stephen Lea Sheppard) or hippie guidance counsellor Jeff Rosso (Dave "Gruber" Allen).
Best quote: Jeff Rosso: "What do you want me to do, to do for you, to see you through?" Guidance through Grateful Dead!
Why it was cancelled: No one was watching it.
Sum it all up: Nick: "Look, these teachers...these teachers want us to work, you know? And I say fine...I'll work. But you gotta let me do the kind of work that I wanna do. And for me, Lindsay, it's my- it's my drum kit, man. This my passion, you know? This is- this is the essence of who I am now. But before I had this, I was lost too. You see what I'm saying? You need to find...your reason for- for living, man. You've got to find, your big, just gigantic drum kit, you know?"

Rantings and Ravings: How Paul Rudd makes cinema better.

My good friend and blog co-author came up with an interesting theory regarding the popularity of Paul Rudd. Apparently Mr. Rudd is some kind of Superman villain waiting to use our admiration for evil. No human could be this likeable. If we discount this theory, then why is it that we all like Paul Rudd so much? Why is he so likeable. You know, I don't think I've met anyone who, after being told who he is, promptly tells me that he's terrible. It's not as if he hasn't been in bad movies. Some really bad movies. But while most of the other Apatow troupe have come in for some backlash (Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Steve Carell, Will Ferrell). What's the deal? Well, for starters, unlike some of the Apatow crowd, Rudd's been working since 1995. Unlike, say, Jonah Hill, he wasn't suddenly presented to us as somebody who's hilarious.

Rudd first came to audiences' attention playing Alicia Silverstone's love interest in Clueless, and "Dave Paris" in Baz Luhrmann's caffeine-addled Romeo and Juliet, not to mention grown-up Tommy Doyle in Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers. He continued paying his dues in rom-coms (The Object of My Affection), misguided indies (200 Cigarettes), and popped up in a small role as Charlize Theron's fiance in The Cider House Rules. He even appeared with bleached hair as the American guy in the "Hong-Kong-action-cyborg-gone-awry" movie Gen-X Cops 2: Metal Mayhem

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAwxdMKlTog

Then people seemed to realise he was funny. He starred in the cult comedy Wet Hot American Summer as Andy, the asshole boyfriend to end all asshole boyfriends. He throws kids out of moving vans, calls his girlfriend a dyke, and dumps the girl he's cheating on his girlfriend with by telling her that "You taste like a burger. I don't like you anymore." Oh and he has the finest double take ever. He also popped up in a small guest appearance on Amy Sedaris' wonderfully scabrous TV show Strangers with Candy, a sure sign of growing appreciation among fellow comics. In 2002 he went mainstream by starring as Phoebe's boyfriend and eventually husband Mike in Friends. We're willing to forgive him for this, because we know that some people really like Friends.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZZ2d-x6o2I

In 2003 he starred in Neil LaBute's underrated drama The Shape of Things as the haplessly manipulated Adam, who's convinced by his new art-student girlfriend (a never-better Rachel Weisz) to give up his friends, change his personality, and even get a nose-job. The twist is crushing. Rudd is excellent as the well-meaning but weak-willed Adam. His next role could not have been more different. 2004 saw the release of Anchorman, the first of the Apatow/Ferrell/McKay movies. Its runaway success meant that Will Ferrell could pretty much do anything he wanted, but Rudd is also hilarious as mustachioed, Sex Panther-wearing Brian Fantana. He gets his fair share of the best lines, including "60% of the time, it works every time" , and the memorable notion of naming one's testicles. He also had a small role as Laura Linney's ex-addict brother in Dylan Kidd's P.S. (also underrated).

2005 saw the release of Judd Apatow's directorial début, as well as Steve Carell's first starring role, The 40 Year Old Virgin. Here again was Rudd, in a supporting but hysterically funny role, showing that he could not only stand out in an ensemble (the "you know how I know you're gay" scene is still hysterical), but work to make the ensemble group funnier (which is impressive, given it's made up of the not-unfunny Romany Malco, Seth Rogen, and Jane Lynch). But unlike fellow cast-mate Rogen, there was no sudden jump to major box-office leading man. He popped up in funny cameo roles in Night of the Museum (big success) and Fast Track (big failure). He made The Ten with the Wet Hot American Summer gang that didn't recreate the previous film's cult popularity (despite a better-known cast). He guest starred on Veronica Mars and Reno: 911, and starred opposite Michelle Pfeiffer in quickly forgotten rom-com I Could Never Be Your Woman.

He got better reviews in Judd Apatow's second movie, Knocked Up. In some hands Rudd's character could have been a thankless role. He plays Pete, Katherine Heigl's brother-in-law, who's grown unhappy in his marriage and sneaks off in the middle of the night to play fantasy baseball. Rudd manages to create a character who's likeable, not in spite of his pettiness, but almost because of it. In what is essentially a very optimistic film, Pete and Debbie (the excellent Leslie Mann) show what is sometimes inevitable in life. Things don't always work out. "The biggest problem in our marriage is that she wants me around". Oh and he's funny in it too.

After Knocked Up Rudd became a lot more visible, and his appeal more obvious. The reason why his John Lennon is so funny in Walk Hard is because it's so brazenly awful. He's a welcome comic relief in the overlong Forgetting Sarah Marshall. And, to be honest, we can just about forgive Over Her Dead Body because hey, it's not like anybody actually saw it.

It's with his last two lead roles that Paul Rudd's finally found the acclaim he deserves. Role Models sounded like a pretty lazy Hollywood pitch: two slackers have to do community service with kids. But the script (co-written by Rudd) is clever, and most importantly, funny enough to make the film consistently watchable. The film is hilarious, with Rudd's misanthropic Danny playing off Seann William Scott's upbeat Wheeler to great comic effect. What also makes the film work is that, unlike many comedy characters whose cold exterior melts to reveal a warm fuzzy character, Danny actually comes across as believable. We've all been pissed off and frustrated at the things and events that cause himto vent spleen. We just don't react to them as wittily. "Really? It's called a venti? Who calls it that, Fellini?" Role Models deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as The 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up, because it's just as funny without the lengthy sentimentalizing. Of course, there is some, courtesy of Danny's relationship with Elizabeth Banks, but it's done with a sense of humour and it doesn't add an extra 40 minutes onto the film.

I Love You, Man billed itself as a bromantic comedy, and it really is the best way to describe it. This is mainly because it has the exact same structure as a romantic comedy. John Hamburg's comedy does assume that it's novelty means that it can get away with following formula, but it's certainly worth a watch. The film is especially funny during the first act, as Rudd's Peter Klaven realises that he has no friends. A series of excrutiating man-dates ensue, as Rudd attempts to bond, be cool, and avoid getting French-kissed by a man. The embarrassment is so effective because Klaven is such a likeable character. And there's that word again: likeable!

What we can see by looking at Rudd's career is that he's paid his dues in some less than loveable movies, done excellent dramatic work, been a part of excellent ensemble casts, and proven that he can carry the burden of a lead. And the answer to our question? Well....I think he might be a Superman villain.